Atlantic: An area of weak low pressure off the coast of Africa held shippers’ attentions last week. The National Hurricane Center gave the system a 20 percent chance of developing further.
U.S. Gulf: Slowly falling levels in the Gulf shipping region were welcome news last week after cresting on or around July 24, though high-water restrictions remained. The New Orleans gauge read 15.4 feet on July 30, and shippers estimated towing restrictions would remain in place for another 2-3 weeks. Extra delays in barge pickup and drop-off were expected.
Navigation delays of 30-36 hours were reported at Industrial Lock with an average 29 boats queued. Bayou Sorrel Lock wait times were put at 18-20 hours thanks to guidewall repairs slated to last through Aug. 15, and Algiers Lock transit times were called 8-10 hours for the week. Boats traveling through Port Allen Lock reported waits of about an hour.
Bayou Sorrel’s repairs necessitated Monday-through-Thursday lock closures from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with shippers expecting minimum waits of 6-8 hours. Bayou Sorrel will close completely for dewatering, repairs, and maintenance Aug. 15 through Oct. 15, during which all vessels must detour through Algiers Lock instead. Delays will be substantial, shippers said.
Calcasieu Lock dolphin construction continued to force singlewide traffic in the westbound direction. Work at the lock is anticipated to cause intermittent delays until the scheduled wrap-up date of Sept. 15.
Canary Creek dredging efforts are scheduled for July 21 through Aug. 4, after which the dredging crew will switch to the Brazos River for approximately five days to clear shoaling accumulated during recent high-water events.
Shippers expected no waterway closures to result from the work.
High-water at Morgan City showed no sign of abatement last week, and was expected to remain above the 6.0-foot mark through approximately Aug. 3.
Lower Mississippi River: An Extreme High Water Safety Advisory remained active between Miles 303 and 869 on the Lower Mississippi River last week. Restrictions specified a minimum of 280 towing horsepower per barge, with no more than 36 barges allowed per tow. Additionally, tows traveling through Vicksburg and Memphis-area bridges were limited to daylight-only travel and 110 feet of total length.
Sources said levels at Baton Rouge were cresting on July 30 at 38.8 feet. Levels were expected to slowly decline over the next 3-4 weeks, and high-water restrictions will remain in effect during that time. Extra delays in barge pickup and drop-off were projected, and restrictions called for at least 240 horsepower per barge for tows traveling in the southbound direction.
Weir dike and mat-laying activities will trigger sporadic daytime closures at Mile 643 through Oct. 8. Similar delays are expected at Mile 893 on Sept. 5-12, at Mile 714 on Sept. 17-22, and at Mile 418 on Nov. 11-17.
Big Island Bendway weir construction is scheduled to commence during the first week of August and run for 25-30 days. Transit will be unavailable during daylight hours for the length of the work, though the Corps is expected to pass all queued traffic nightly ahead of the next day’s closure.
Upper Mississippi River: Minor-to-moderate stage flooding was reported south of Lock and Dam 25.
Water levels in the St. Louis area were greatly improved last week, with the gauge showing 27.1 feet on July 30, significantly lower than the 32.6 feet recorded on July 23. Shippers expected levels to rise slightly before peaking around July 31, then resume their descent. Tows greater than 600 feet were limited to daylight-only transit through St. Louis Harbor until water levels hit the 25-foot mark, forecast to occur on Aug. 2.
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